The Panchen Lama, the highest-ranking Buddhist living in Tibet today, pays a sudden visit to the local monastery and throws the monks into turmoil. For Tsephun, a novice monk, the visit proves to be the most exciting day of his life. In the town, Jianzang, a local hotel owner, is worried about the lack of business...

The Panchen Lama, the highest-ranking Buddhist living in Tibet today, pays a sudden visit to the local monastery and throws the monks into turmoil. For Tsephun, a novice monk, the visit proves to be the most exciting day of his life. In the town, Jianzang, a local hotel owner, is worried about the lack of business. Despite a last-minute panic with blocked pipes in his hotel rooms and an inspection by the local tourist chief, the Panchen’s visit...The Panchen Lama, the highest-ranking Buddhist living in Tibet today, pays a sudden visit to the local monastery and throws the monks into turmoil. For Tsephun, a novice monk, the visit proves to be the most exciting day of his life. In the town, Jianzang, a local hotel owner, is worried about the lack of business. Despite a last-minute panic with blocked pipes in his hotel rooms and an inspection by the local tourist chief, the Panchen’s visit gives him a late-season windfall. Meanwhile, in the nearby village of Tangmai, Deji, a young farmer’s wife, is rushed into hospital with complications with her pregnancy. Both the doctors and Tseden, the local shaman, work together to try to save her baby.
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The monks in the Pel Kor monastery begin their elaborate preparations for New Year, one of Tibet’s biggest festivals. In the town, meanwhile, Lhakpa, a local rickshaw driver, struggles to earn money as winter approaches. He embarks on a scheme to buy and sell puppies – but with disastrous consequences. Meanwhi...

The monks in the Pel Kor monastery begin their elaborate preparations for New Year, one of Tibet’s biggest festivals. In the town, meanwhile, Lhakpa, a local rickshaw driver, struggles to earn money as winter approaches. He embarks on a scheme to buy and sell puppies – but with disastrous consequences. Meanwhile, his five-year old nephew, Ozer, is rushed into hospital with a life-threatening heart condition, plunging the family further into d...The monks in the Pel Kor monastery begin their elaborate preparations for New Year, one of Tibet’s biggest festivals. In the town, meanwhile, Lhakpa, a local rickshaw driver, struggles to earn money as winter approaches. He embarks on a scheme to buy and sell puppies – but with disastrous consequences. Meanwhile, his five-year old nephew, Ozer, is rushed into hospital with a life-threatening heart condition, plunging the family further into debt. Elsewhere, Jianzang, a local hotel owner, gets involved in a court case which has a surprising outcome. And in Tangmai village, the local doctor cannot cure Lhamo’s crippling stomach pains. She worries that they are the result of bad kharma from a previous life and seeks a solution in her Buddhist faith. As New Year arrives, however, everyone puts their worries behind them as they celebrate 15 riotous days of their New Year holiday.
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It is now mid-winter in southern Tibet, where temperatures regularly fall 20 degrees below freezing. In the Pel Kor monastery in Gyantse, the director, Choephel, discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been stolen and suspects it is an inside job. But the theft gives the local Communist Party an excuse to p...

It is now mid-winter in southern Tibet, where temperatures regularly fall 20 degrees below freezing. In the Pel Kor monastery in Gyantse, the director, Choephel, discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been stolen and suspects it is an inside job. But the theft gives the local Communist Party an excuse to put in a government 'work team' to weed out the monks who they think are behaving badly. Lhakpa, a rickshaw driver in town, heads north...It is now mid-winter in southern Tibet, where temperatures regularly fall 20 degrees below freezing. In the Pel Kor monastery in Gyantse, the director, Choephel, discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been stolen and suspects it is an inside job. But the theft gives the local Communist Party an excuse to put in a government 'work team' to weed out the monks who they think are behaving badly. Lhakpa, a rickshaw driver in town, heads north in search of a lucrative job on a building site, but he gets more than he bargained for. And Butri, a life-long Communist Party worker, gets an unpleasant surprise as she approaches her retirement.
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